Who is Yara Shahidi?
Yara Shahidi is an American actress and model. She gained popularity after starring as “Zoey Johnson” in the ABC sitcom “Black-ish” and its spin-off series “Grown-ish”. Her performance in the comedy series earned her an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy in 2014.
Yara Shahidi’s childhood and education
Yara Shahidi’s full name is Yara Sayeh Shahidi. She was born on February 10, 2020, to an African-American mother and an Iranian father. She is the first of three children. Yara Shahidi is 22 years old as of 2022. Her family had to relocate to California when Yara was 4 years old due to the nature of her father’s job.
She graduated from Dwight Global Online School in 2017 before enrolling at Harvard University in 2018 to study Interdisciplinary Sociology and African American Studies. Former American first lady Michelle Obama wrote Shahidi’s letter of recommendation to Harvard due to her activism. Outside her regular education, Yara Shahidi also studies martial arts. She is a “Tang Soo Do” black belt holder. Yara graduated from Harvard in 2022.
Meaning of Yara Shahidi’s name
According to Yara Shahidi, her full name Yara Sayeh Shahidi means “somebody close to your heart, shadow, and witness”. She stated that Yara means “somebody close to your heart”, Sayeh means “shadow”, and Shahidi means “witness”.
About Yara Shahidi’s parents
Yara Shahidi’s parents both work in the entertainment industry. Her father, Afshin Shahidi, 52, is a photographer and cinematographer. He is from Iran. He was one of the principal photographers for the late musician, Prince, before his death in 2016.
Yara Shahidi’s mother is Keri Salter Shahidi. She is an actress, model, and producer. She is an African-American woman with Choctaw heritage. She and Yara launched a production company called “7th Sun”. They reportedly signed a deal with ABC Studios to produce shows after the launch of the company. Keri has starred in movies like “American Dad” and “Motherhood”. She and Yara’s father have reportedly been together for 25 years.
According to reports gathered by DNB Stories Africa, Yara’s maternal grandparents are Ella Mae and Charles Rufus Jones. Reports also had it that her paternal grandfather influenced her interest in history, while her maternal grandfather was once associated with the “Black Panthers”.
Yara Shahidi’s siblings
Yara Shahidi has two younger brothers named Sayeed Shahidi and Ehsan Shahidi respectively. They are both actors and they have starred alongside their sister in a few movies.
Sayeed Shahidi
Sayeed Shahidi is also a model. He was born on February 14, 2003. He is 19 years old as of 2022. He has starred in movies like “The People v. OJ Simpson: An American Crime Story”, “Switched at Birth”, “Uncle Buck”, etc. Sayeed Shahidi is best known for his role in the 2016 movie “Uncle Buck”. Reports had it that he was in a relationship with Storm Reid as of 2017.
Ehsan Shahidi
Yara Shahidi’s other brother Ehsan Shahidi was born on March 7, 2008. He is 14 years old as of 2022. He also starred in the movie “The People v. O.J Simpson: An American Crime Story” alongside his brother, Sayeed. He played the role of “Justin Simpson”.
Yara Shahidi and Nas relationship
Reports sighted by DNB Stories Africa say that Yara Shahidi is a cousin of the popular rapper, Nas. It is said that Yara Shahidi shares the same maternal grandparents with Nas.
Wiki Profile of Yara Shahidi
| Full name | Yara Sayeh Shahidi |
| Nationality | American |
| Age | 22 years |
| Date of birth | February 10, 2020 |
| Marital status | Single |
| Husband | N/A |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Height | 5″ 6 inches |
| Career | Actor, Model |
| @yarashahidi |
How Yara Shahidi started her career
Yara Shahidi started her career as a model at the age of 6. She appeared in TV and print commercials for brands like Ralph Lauren, McDonald’s, Target, GapKids, Disney, Guess Kids, and The Children’s Place. She made her debut as an actress in 2007, starring in an episode of the American comedy-drama series “Entourage”. In the same 2007, Yara landed a role in the much-talked-about film “Imagine That” where she starred alongside legendary actor, Eddie Murphy.
Her performance in the film earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for “The Best Performance in a Feature Film”. She also graced the screen in Angelina Jolie’s 2010 action film “Salt” where she played Salt’s young neighbour. She went on to play “Chloe Johnson” in the TV series “The First Family”.
Yara Shahidi became a household name in 2014 after she was cast as “Zoey Johnson” on the ABC sitcom “Black-ish”. She is also a regular in the spin-off series “Grown-ish” that was launched in 2018. She won the NAACP Image Award for “Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy” in 2014 for her performance in “Black-ish”. She also made the Time’s list of “The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016”.
Yara Shahidi and activism
Yara Shahidi is also known for her activism. She founded an organization called “Eighteen X 18” with the social news publisher “Now This” in 2018. The organization is a national initiative that encourages young people to become more interested in voting. She had the chance to interview Hillary Clinton, an ex-US Secretary of State, in 2017 through Teens Vogue. In 2021, she joined the Dior Stand with Women campaign.
Yara Shahidi’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this post, Yara Shahidi is not married and does not have a husband.
Yara Shahidi’s husband
As of August 2022, Yara Shahidi is not married.
Yara Shahidi’s boyfriend
As of the time of publishing this post, does not have a publicly recognized boyfriend.
The young actress seemed very much focused on her career and education at this time. According to her, if she doesn’t have time to take her bath regularly, then she doesn’t have time for another human. She stated that she loves being busy and she is enjoying where she is at the moment.
However, there are speculations that Yara Shahidi has a thing with American actor, singer and songwriter, Trevor Jackson. But the certainty of the speculation cannot be proven at the moment. Yara Shahidi has also been romantically linked to popular model Luka Sabbat aka Mr Fallback in the past. Again, the affair was not confirmed.
Yara Shahidi’s children
Yara Shahidi is yet to become a mother as of 2022. The actress does not have any children at the moment and is probably still too young and focused to start talking about motherhood.
